Why the pizza hate? As long as you stay away from the crazy mayonnaise/potato-pizzas they are fine.

I had a a couple of delivery pizza places just a few blocks away from my house and they were all fine. At the italian restaurants they'd usually server the traditional thin italian pizza with mozarella as expected.
They only place I would never get a pizza at is a family restaurant.

There's has to be a at least a good place for pizza... What about burgers? Are they desent?

A very important thing to keep in mind is that trying to maintain a diet of Western staples is going to be three or four times more expensive than just learning to love Japanese food. I managed to live for 6 months on a few thousand dollars, primarily by embracing a diet of rice, tofu, shrimp, and veggies—all of which were healthier and eventually tastier than wheat/corn and red meat.

My friends who insisted on buying (small) $12 jars of peanut butter ultimately missed out on a fantastic learning experience. I've been back in the states for 8 years now, but my experience eating in Japan has forever broadened my horizons and tastes.

There's has to be a at least a good place for pizza... What about burgers? Are they desent?

Roppongi has an awesome Burger place by the name of Hot Rocks. Burgers are getting popular here so lots of cafes are serving them up and they're getting better.

Da Isa is ranked as one of the best pizza places in the world and its located in Nakameguro. Local pizzarias are opening up all over the city and are pretty damn good. Everyone seems to be trying their hand at Italian style pizza and serving up whole pies for cheap.

I wouldn't listen to people who say there's no good pizzas or burgers here. It's not even hard to find a good place. Especially in the Chiyoda area.

There's has to be a at least a good place for pizza... What about burgers? Are they desent?

My advice, buy a cheap bike.

I live in Koto-ku, and work in Nihonbashi (Ningyocho) and take bike everyday. It's tonnes better than the stuffy train, and it also allows me to get out and about in weekends.

Staying in that vein, I recommend you to look for a place in Koto. You can get a very decent flat for around 100k yen, and if you're willing to go higher it only gets better. I live in a brand new flat in a 2 family house - 47 sqm for 105k per month.

Expensive by most standards but a pretty good price in Tokyo.

Ningyocho is quite good for food, especially lunch, since there are so many office workers there who eat for lunch.

Brozzers does good, if a bit expensive, American style burgers, and there are a few Italien places who will do you a nice Italien style pizza. Don't like American style, so I wouldn't know about those.

AllenShrz if you would like to know alot about Japan watch this guys youtube channel http://www.youtube.com/user/TheJapanChannelDcom
You will need to learn some Japanese, and try to find a RealEstate company that is foreigner friendly this guy that has the Youtube channel also has a website that has foreigner friendly companies/businesses.

There's has to be a at least a good place for pizza... What about burgers? Are they desent?

If you go to a place that speacializes in pizza you'll have better luck. My experience it's Italien restaurants that serve pizza that do it the worst.

Originally Posted by Juice

A very important thing to keep in mind is that trying to maintain a diet of Western staples is going to be three or four times more expensive than just learning to love Japanese food. I managed to live for 6 months on a few thousand dollars, primarily by embracing a diet of rice, tofu, shrimp, and veggies—all of which were healthier and eventually tastier than wheat/corn and red meat.

My friends who insisted on buying (small) $12 jars of peanut butter ultimately missed out on a fantastic learning experience. I've been back in the states for 8 years now, but my experience eating in Japan has forever broadened my horizons and tastes.

Also this. There's gonna be a ton of food I'm gonna miss when I leave Japan now.

Even if you get homesick there's some Japanese foods that are pretty similar to American.

If you want a burger try menchikatsu. It's like a deep friend bugger patty.

Slightly off topic: I lived in Japan for about 7 months on an exchange two years back, and would like to get back into learning the language. I can hold a conversation but I'm nowhere near fluent. What do you guys recommend to use? I'd like to build up my vocabulary as my first goal I suppose, along with kanji.

Slightly off topic: I lived in Japan for about 7 months on an exchange two years back, and would like to get back into learning the language. I can hold a conversation but I'm nowhere near fluent. What do you guys recommend to use? I'd like to build up my vocabulary as my first goal I suppose, along with kanji.

And also try to mingle with the 'normal' people in the city and don't be just the typical gaijin, living in his secured and well-known neighborhood, only leaving it for work or for going out to Roppongi.

The shitamachi-districts are great for that: tiny izakayas, inexpensive food and drinks, grandma/grandpa as owner and people for the local neighborhoods.

Sakura house is very mediocre. For the convenience of them basically doing all the paperwork for you and them speaking english they charge a lot for shitty rooms. But it can be fun since usually you're in a sharehouse with other foreigners. I would never rent a single apartment from them though unless you're going to be in Japan very short term.

Sakura house is very mediocre. For the convenience of them basically doing all the paperwork for you and them speaking english they charge a lot for shitty rooms. But it can be fun since usually you're in a sharehouse with other foreigners.

Yeah, if you're over 25 and company is transferring you to Japan with a budget of 1800, you have no need for leopalace/Sakura house. Most likely they'll put you up in some very expensive place for the first month or so while you look for a place to live.

There's has to be a at least a good place for pizza... What about burgers? Are they desent?

30 minutes is like 10min from home to the station, 10min on the train and 10min from the station to the office. If the office is located in Marunouchi area, it's possible to go to work on foot. But if it's in the upperside of Chiyodaku (embassy row), it might be tough because you have to go across the Imperial Palace.

30 minutes is like 10min from home to the station, 10min on the train and 10min from the station to the office. If the office is located in Marunouchi area, it's possible to go to work on foot. But if it's in the upperside of Chiyodaku (embassy row), it might be tough because you have to go across the Imperial Palace.

Yeah, I don't know where the OP is. Oming from but 30 min is nothing door to door. I have 10-15min subway and 5min on either end of that.

Don't like in shitamachi. It's a lot further than that. I lived there as a student. Nothing a single guy would want to do there. Plenty of salts of the earth stuff to do around Kanda if you want that.

For burger chains I like First Kitchen the best but I always get the ebi (shrimp) burgers. Man I am gonna miss those so much.

Originally Posted by Skinpop

o_O I'm pretty sure that never happened to me..
there are many italian restaurants in japan though, anything is possible.

I'm sure there are some decent Italien restaurants somewhere but I've gotten the same pizza at them in approx 7 or so restaurants around Kansai and in Tokyo. I just dont want to take a chance anymore :X

Edit : here's a pic of the last place I went to in Namba. It was basically raw dough because all the cheese must have blocked the heat. I think a good way to find a good pizza place is to make sure they have a real pizza oven.

I've read in several blogs that japanese don't like foreigners too much, I hope they don't forbid you the access to some places just because you are a gaijin.

This is....not really true. In my experience living in Japan (Osaka, specifically), if you make an attempt to speak in japanese and observe customs, people are quite friendly. It's when you try to be a loud foreigner unwilling to learn the ways of the country that people start ostracizing you.

This is....not really true. In my experience living in Japan (Osaka, specifically), if you make an attempt to speak in japanese and observe customs, people are quite friendly. It's when you try to be a loud foreigner unwilling to learn the ways of the country that people start ostracizing you.

Which is not exclusive to Japan.
Behave normal and try to learn the country will only earn you respect points.

Unfortunately one of the few places where you might actually encounter some wrong-headed attitudes from the Japanese is in the housing market. If you look for an apartment outside of the small subset of rental units catering to foreigners then don't be surprised if you get turned down a decent amount of time as soon as the landlord or apartment agent sees that you're not Japanese.

I fucking loved Freshness Burger. Moz burger was pretty good too I think..

Has Freshness Burger gone completely out of business? I looooved Freshness Burger. We used to have 2 in Hiroshima but they both closed down.

And I'm definitely a naysayer on the pizza in Japan overall. In 7 years here I have tasted decent to good pizza, but I have never once had anything close to a great NY style slice. If you're looking for Italian margherita style then you'll be ok, and if you're looking for chain pizza with sausage and shrimp and corn and mayo and scoops of tuna fish and octopus you'll be ok. But no matter where you go, pizza is fucking expensive.

And if you're a beer drinker, prepare to be disappointed in the prices and general selection. Japan actually has some fantastic craft breweries, but they are not widely available and cost two to three times what you'd pay in the states.

For the most part Japanese people are friendly to foreigners, you just never will be one of them, whatever you do.

This right there.

Man, this topic reminds I only have two months left on my current job with no definite guarantee they'll keep me afterwards.
Also need to find a new place too as I can't stay where I'm currently living, but with no concrete info on when I'll get my visa and how much my pay will be from August on I just can't do jack shit.

are you serious? oO I'm gonna move in in a few weeks, noone of the people I asked told me about this (they only told me to stay away from the ground level floors).
which of the apartments was it?

also, I wanted to start a similar thread a while ago, but never did. OP, I hope you don't mind if I ask 1 or 2 questions myself.

Originally Posted by Juice

A very important thing to keep in mind is that trying to maintain a diet of Western staples is going to be three or four times more expensive than just learning to love Japanese food. I managed to live for 6 months on a few thousand dollars, primarily by embracing a diet of rice, tofu, shrimp, and veggies—all of which were healthier and eventually tastier than wheat/corn and red meat.[...]